1) Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure relates generally to assemblies, systems, and methods for receiver surge pressure testing, and more particularly, to assemblies, systems, and methods for receiver surge pressure testing using a receiver surge test tool (STT) for aerial refueling clearance of refueling aircraft.
2) Description of Related Art
Aircraft, such as receiver aircraft, are commonly refueled in flight by refueling aircraft, such as refueling tanker aircraft. The refueling aircraft typically has a boom mechanism, or a flexible tube or hose, attached to the tail of the refueling aircraft, which physically makes a connection to the receiver aircraft to be refueled and dispenses fuel to the receiver aircraft from the refueling aircraft.
To certify or qualify an uncertified refueling aircraft for aerial refueling clearance against a receiver aircraft to be refueled, the refueling aircraft and the receiver aircraft typically undergo surge pressure testing. The surge pressure testing can be used to verify that surge pressures generated in the receiver aircraft from the refueling aircraft do not exceed the receiver aircraft's proof pressure, i.e., the level of pressure at which a tube, hose, or other fluid passage does not yield during application of internal pressure. If the surge pressures of the uncertified refueling aircraft obtained during such surge pressure testing are less than, or equal to, the surge pressures of a prior refueling aircraft design that has been certified, the uncertified refueling aircraft can become certified or qualified and granted an aerial refueling clearance.
Known systems and methods to certify or qualify an uncertified refueling aircraft, such as an uncertified refueling tanker aircraft, may involve instrumenting numerous types of receiver aircraft that will receive fuel from the refueling aircraft to be certified. Such instrumenting of each receiver aircraft may involve the installation of dynamic pressure transducers throughout the receiver aircraft fuel system, the removal of one or more refueling flow lines from the receiver aircraft and replacement with one or more aircraft pressure transducers or pressure sensors, and the testing of the instrumentation system to record all test data. However, such instrumenting may be expensive and labor intensive. Moreover, such instrumenting may be very time consuming, and it may take several years to instrument all the receiver aircraft that will receive fuel from the refueling aircraft to be certified.
In addition, known systems and methods to certify or qualify an uncertified refueling aircraft, such as an uncertified refueling tanker aircraft, may involve flight testing the refueling aircraft to be certified with numerous types of receiver aircraft that will receive fuel from the refueling aircraft to be certified. However, such flight testing of the refueling aircraft to be certified with each of the numerous types of receiver aircraft may result in having to conduct numerous flight tests, which may be expensive and time consuming. Thus, the certification or qualification of an uncertified refueling aircraft, such as an uncertified refueling tanker aircraft, may be difficult due to the expense and time involved.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved assembly, system, and method for surge pressure testing to certify an uncertified refueling aircraft for aerial refueling clearance against receiver aircraft, that are low cost, time efficient, and reliable, and that provide advantages over known assemblies, systems, and methods.